


More Things in Heaven and Earth

by Skerda



Category: Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Dates, Fluff, Happy!Alec, M/M, Magnus is a nice thing lol, Romance, Shakespeare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 00:50:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7077694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skerda/pseuds/Skerda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus and Alec go out on another date, and this time, Magnus has something special planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Things in Heaven and Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is another short fic, and a completely self-indulgent one at that. I hope you enjoy it. Nothing here belongs to me.

Alec stared at himself in the mirror, resisting the urge to try and fix his hair again. He’d been fussing over it all day, tweaking strands and brushing it, growing increasingly frustrated. In the end, he’d decided to just let it fall over his forehead as it usually did. He was destined to have scruffy, awful hair. He’d leave the fancy stuff to Magnus, with his magic…magic dye, or whatever it was.

His thoughts rattled on like this, erratic and scattered. His heart was thudding gently in his chest and his insides had been twisting themselves into knots for the past hour. He didn’t know why he was so nervous; this wasn’t their first date. They’d already been out four times, five if he counted the night they’d all gone over to the loft for a movie and Magnus convinced him to stay behind when everyone else went home. So far they hadn’t done anything heavier than make out a few times, so it wasn’t _that_ he was anxious about. He knew, and truly believed, that Magnus would never push him to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. They’d get to all that in time, and besides, one of the first things Alec had picked up on about his…boyfriend (could he call Magnus that?) was that the man possessed an almost superhuman capacity for patience. Maybe it was a warlock thing, a side effect of immortality. Alec liked to think it was just Magnus being Magnus.

At any rate, he didn’t think he had the time to psycho-analyse himself in greater depth, or even worry about his hair any more. He checked his watch: 13:45. Magnus had told him he would pick him up at ten to, and then portal them who-knows-where, for a day doing who-knows-what.

Oh. Maybe that was what was unsettling him. If Magnus’s patience was a corollary of immortality, then the urge to micromanage everything was a corollary of leadership, or at least the style of leadership espoused by the Nephilim. Alec didn’t really like not knowing things, especially when he was going to be directly involved in whatever was happening. There were some things he could prepare for, yes. And there were some things he couldn’t. How was he to know what to be ready for if he didn’t have the faintest idea what he was up against?

“Afternoon, loverboy.”

“Fucking-” Alec cut himself off when he spun and saw Magnus, leaning lazily against his doorframe. Predictably, he was decked out in enough bling to make Izzy drool, makeup meticulous and hair artfully spiked. He was wearing _honest to God_ leather pants and a burgundy silk shirt, and yeah, that was _definitely_ a flush rising to Alec’s face. He found himself biting the inside of his cheek, overcome by a sudden rush of something he didn’t want to name. Typical, gorgeous Magnus. Who else could dress like that and carry it off so well?

Magnus was smiling. Not grinning, in the smirky way Jace sometimes did when he caught women ogling him. Just smiling. He pushed himself off the doorframe with a small flourish and breezed over to Alec, hands already reaching out. Alec could smell his cologne, and thought dizzily that if he’d expected his thoughts to clear up now that Magnus was here, he’d been deluding himself.

Coming to a stop in front of him, Magnus reached up to brush his fingers along Alec’s jawline. This was a signal Alec had grown used to, so he was already leaning down by the time Magnus began to tilt up. Their lips pressed together once, twice, eyes closed. Magnus smelled even better up close, and when Alec gripped his waist, he could tell from the angle of the warlock’s body that he was standing on tiptoes in order to reach his mouth. When they pulled away from each other, Alec was grinning.

“Hi, Magnus,” he said.

“Hi there, sweetheart. Are we ready to head out? There’s no rush, so if there’s anything you want to take care of before we leave, feel free.”

Alec hummed to himself, thinking. “Nah, I think we’re good. Izzy’s handling Clary’s training today, and there’s nothing else that can’t be put off till I get back.” He took Magnus’s hand, twining their fingers together and leading them out into the hallway. The Institute was quiet; everyone had their own duties to attend to. Even better: his parents were in Alicante for the weekend, so he wasn’t about to round a corner holding hands with his boyfriend and find the two of them lurking there, ready to spout racist nonsense about the Downworld and disown him or something.

He turned to look at Magnus. “Who let you in, by the way? I thought the new wards you put up barred anyone from portalling in to the Institute.”

“Ah,” Magnus said. “Actually, I keyed my own signature into the ward network here, so that it would recognize my magic and let me through.” He glanced at Alec worriedly. “I hope that wasn’t…presumptuous of me. I’ve done the same to the wards in my loft, so you can come and go as you please without seeking my permission.”

Alec smiled. Just walking in and out of Magnus’s place, leaving the Institute when he felt like it and heading straight there…well, it was a nice thought. Really nice. “Is that your way of asking me to come over more often?”

“Whatever makes you think that?” Again, that bright smile. Alec was pretty much helpless against it; had been ever since Magnus crossed a room towards him with an introduction on his lips and an unconscious Circle member at his back. It had taken a long time to get where they were now, but it had been worth the wait. Alec still woke every morning more excited for the day ahead than he had ever been in his life. The thought still bewildered him, in those hazy few minutes between sleep and his first cup of coffee: he had a _boyfriend_ , or at least, someone who was very likely to become his boyfriend. His life was so different now to what it had been.

Still hand-in-hand, they left the front door of the Institute and crossed to just beyond the boundary line. The afternoon sun blazed down on them, painting Magnus’s skin in caramel and gold. His fingers around Alec’s were warm.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going, or are you going to insist on surprising me?” He asked, not really minding either way. It was amazing how he’d been worrying over just that not ten minutes ago.

“Well,” Magnus mused, releasing Alec’s hand and opening a portal with barely a flick of his wrist. “I rather think you’ll like it better if it’s a surprise. I’ll tell you once we get there. Think you can wait another two minutes?”

“I’ll try.”

With a slightly wild grin, Magnus reached for his hand again and tugged them though the portal.

They stepped out into pale evening sunlight. They were surrounded by a line of trees on one side and the curve of a river on the other, and Alec could see people milling about in the distance. He didn’t recognise where they were, though it was obviously pretty far from the States, judging by the time of day. The air bore the scent of apples and wildflowers.

“Where do you think this is?” Magnus asked him, leading the way through the trees towards the crowds of people. No one seemed to notice two men stepping out from the shadows, hands linked, and joining the hundreds of other couples strolling on a summer’s evening. Alec noted the cameras slung around the necks of passers-by and guessed the majority here were tourists.

“I honestly have no idea. Want to give me a clue?”

“Wait a moment…there. Take another look around. Look familiar in any way?”

They’d emerged onto what was clearly the town’s main street. Old-fashioned houses lined it on either side, squat things with strange timber patterns and high rooftops.

“Um,” Alec said. “I guess it looks kind of medieval. Or Tudor-ish.”

“Bingo!” Magnus grinned, swinging their arms in delight. “Isabelle told me you’re a Shakespeare man. Welcome to Stratford upon Avon.”

Alec gaped. He tried to splutter something out in response, but found himself suddenly unable to speak much at all. Instead, he cast his head around with an almost frantic zeal, trying to take everything in at once. The pavement beneath their feet, he noticed, was old too. Everything looked old. It looked the way he’d always imagined it did.

“Magnus,” he finally croaked out. “I can’t believe… I – I’ve never even been abroad before, unless you count Idris. This is incredible. I…” he trailed off, shaking his head. Magnus was looking at him with a soft, happy expression, like he was drinking in Alec’s amazement. He arched a neat eyebrow.

“I hoped you’d like it! Don’t worry though, we’re not just going to be wandering around looking for something to do. I’ve reserved us a table in the RSC restaurant. It has a rooftop view of the river and the old theatre.”

“But how much did you pay for that? Jesus. Magnus, the last time we went out I brought you to an ice cream stall in Central Park.”

“And I enjoyed my ice cream very much, Alexander! Everyone needs to spend at least one date lounging around Central Park, it’s a New Yorker tradition.”

Alec hesitated before blowing out a sigh. He was doing that thing again, he knew, where he grouched when someone did something nice for him. God knows, Magnus was always treating him far more than he could ever hope to treat him back. “And this is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Isn’t the restaurant really busy? When did you book it?”

Magnus smiled again. “I pulled a few favours, don’t you worry your pretty head about it. Those favours got us something else, too: tickets for this evening’s production of Hamlet. It’s the Company’s own. They’re the best, darling, I’ve seen them countless times over the years. You’re going to love it!”

Alec knew better than to gripe about the extravagance this time, partly because he knew money meant nothing to Magnus, and partly because he was once again too flabbergasted to say anything. Here he was in England, on a date with his boyfriend, about to see Shakespeare performed for the first time in his life. It was almost too good to be true. He breathed out a small laugh, tugging Magnus towards him for a kiss. Magnus came willingly, bejewelled hands sliding up to his jaw and the nape of his neck. He sighed into Alec’s mouth, lips warm against his, teeth biting on Alec’s bottom lip. Alec knew distantly that they were standing in a crowded street, surrounded by Mundane tourists, but he couldn’t bring himself to care all that much. Someone whistled loudly and there were scattered cat-calls, but it didn’t sound like there was any malice in them. His heart started to pound, unsure how to cope with so much sudden and unexpected happiness.

They parted slowly, Alec leaning down so he could press his forehead gently to Magnus’s. “How the hell am I going to be able to one-up you on this for the next date?”

It was Magnus’s turn to laugh then.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

They almost fell out of the portal later, tangled together and giggling like children. Feeling emboldened and with head still spinning from the play, Alec wound his arm around Magnus’s waist, the silk warm under his touch. Without thinking about it too much, he began to lead them towards the door of the Institute. For all he knew, Izzy was peering out at them through a window, cheering her brother on internally in the way he knew she always did. Izzy seemed happier now that he was happy, trapped in the same feedback loop of joy and contentment. The disappearance of Jace and their parents’ feelings aside, Alec hoped they could stay this way forever, even Clary. Who knew the addition of one warlock to their little group would change things so much for all of them?

“Want to come inside?” He asked Magnus, a permanent, stupid smile on his face. He wasn’t used to smiling, but it was starting to come easier and easier with each passing day. He thought absently of the sofa in his room, imagining leading Magnus to it, pushing him down into the cushions and stretching out above him…

“I’d love to,” Magnus said. “Unfortunately, I do believe that’s your sister I can see leering at us from that window, and is that Lydia behind her? I think they’re high-fiving each other. Much as I occasionally love an audience” he smirked at Alec’s blush, “I have an appointment in the morning I need to be home for.”

They reached the front door and Magnus leaned up, obviously trying to kiss him goodbye. Alec hesitated. “Wait a sec. You need to be home? Maybe…maybe I could come with you, stay the night? Only if that’s okay. I promise I won’t distract you from your work.”

Magnus blinked in surprise, before a slow, blinding grin began to edge its way into life. “Oh, but Alexander…” he murmured, already leading them back towards the boundary line. “I’m very much looking forward to some lovely distracting.”

Just before they tumbled through the portal, Alec turned to glance back at the Institute. Was it his imagination, or could he actually _hear_ two grown women squealing from here?

“Come on, darling!” Magnus laughed, eyes cat-like in the dark. Alec shook his head and followed him through the warm night air.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
